Different kind of Kaw grazing in Utah this weekend…. | World SBK
- From: 'the Wire' | Published: May 26th, 2009 - 8:04 am
Parkes And Hacking Team Up For Miller Superbike Round
Broc Parkes finds himself partnered with another fast local rider for a long-haul WSB championship round, as Jamie Hacking joins the Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team for the Miller race weekend. Last time out, at Kyalami in South Africa, local Kawasaki competitor Sheridan Morais put in two strong performances as a stand-in for injured team regular Makoto Tamada, and the team hopes that the fast and experienced Hacking will also be able to make a quick transition to the World Superbike scene at one of his home tracks.
Parkes, who was still suffering from the lingering effects of a testing injury in South Africa, expects to be much closer to 100% fit for the American round. He found the bumpy and intensely physical Kyalami circuit a difficult place to make his comeback, and is glad to have had a weekend off to allow his body to return to normal before heading to the US for raceday on 31 May.
Hacking is a well-known and well-respected force in American racing and having been a Kawasaki rider for the past few seasons, he has memories of riding the Ninja ZX-10R at Miller in the AMA Superbike class last year. Rider and team are both keen to get to work this coming weekend and have positive expectations, despite the vast strength-in-depth of World Superbike racing in 2009. Hacking, the AMA Supersport and Superstock champion in 2006, has raced WSB on two previous occasions, as a wild card at Laguna Seca in 1998 and 1999. He posted a best single result of seventh.
Broc Parkes: “I’m grateful to have a two week rest between Kyalami and Miller to give my body a break and to get back to a decent fitness level as I really struggled in Kyalami. I’m looking forward to seeing how we go when I’m back to myself as the bike has been improving each race and we’re showing good progress with solid points scoring finishes. I didn’t race at Miller in World Supersport last year so this will be my first visit but I’m looking forward to it and also welcoming another new team-mate who is a local and will have experience he can bring to the team.”
Jamie Hacking: “I rode World Superbikes back when I first started racing at Laguna Seca. Obviously a lot has changed and I have more experience. I can’t really say what a realistic expectation would be without riding the bike, but Miller does seem to suit my style. Last year, it was our best track on the ZX-10R and I hope that we can try for a top ten.”
Another New Challenge For Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Riders
The first World Supersport Championship race to be held at Miller Motorsport Park in America will be a new experience for the Provec Motocard.com Kawasaki duo of Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara. Last year only the World Superbike teams made the trip to America, and for the vast majority of the World Supersport field the circuit will be all-new, adding yet another complication to what will surely be an intense and competitive race weekend.
In the overall championship fight Lascorz is a creditable fifth after six rounds, in his first season as a Kawasaki rider, having scored two podium places on the new Ninja ZX-6R already.
Fujiwara looks forward to another weekend when he can move up the order, as he now sits 13th, only five points from a top ten placing despite two early season no scores. His immediate target is to beat his season best of fifth, which he took at the Valencia round last month.
The Miller circuit, like the previous round at Kyalami, is a high altitude location, and at 4.907km in length, it is also relatively long by modern standards. The state-of-the-art facility was a popular place for the WSB class to visit last year, and the track layout itself features a wide variety of elevation changes and corner designs.
Miller will be the turning point of the season in one way at least, with the seventh round signifying the end of the first half of the 14 round season. After Miller, the next round takes place at Misano, on June 21.
Joan Lascorz: “It was frustrating to get so close to a podium at Kyalami then just miss out, but we have another chance to improve on that this weekend. Most of the riders in WSS have never been to Miller before, just like us. We have made improvements in the race set-up since the start of the year and I want that to continue in America.”
Katsuaki Fujiwara: “We didn’t get the kind of result in the race at Kyalami we were aiming for so I am looking forward to a better finish in America. It is a new track for us but that will be the same for most of our competitors. We should be starting the weekend on an even level. I will give my best, as always.”
